The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-02-04

ners an the Brills-they hcv small farms In
the creek vallics, an wharever thar's good
land on the mounting sides, who hev no mig.
gers. an who try ter lead God-fearin', hard
workin' lives, an support their families de-
Gently Lastly thars the pore white trash,
tibet lives way up In the hollers an OH the
wuthlcss lands about the headwaters. They've
little patches o. corn ter make Their bread.
stun. an depend on huntin', Ashin', an
stealth, fur the rest o. ther vittles. They've
half dozen guns in every cabin, but nary q
hoe: they've more yaller dogs than the rest
q, us hev sheep. an they find hit a good deal
handler ter kill other folks hogs than ter
raise Their own pork"
"Hardly desirable neighbors, should
Think ventured Harry.
"Ht's war all the time between our kind O.
people an them other kinds. Both on 'em
hates us like pizen, an Oh our side-well, we
air Christians, but we reckon tibet when
Christ tole us ter love our inimies, an do
GOOD ter them ex despitefully used us, he
Couldn't hev he'd no idee how mean people
would git ter be long after he left the airth. I"
Harry could not help smiling at this new
admiration of Scriptural mandate.
"The low down whites hates us bekase we
mint mean an ornery ez they dir, an hold
ourselves above 'em. The bigbugs hates us
belase we won't knuckle down ter 'em, ez
ther niCgers an the pore whites do. So hits
cat mn dog all the time. We don't belong
ter the same parties, we don't jine the same
churches, an thar's more or less trouble
o.pwine on between lis an them continnerly. "
tba n1ya ont
different sides, as usual."
"Of course! of course! The big niger
owners an the ornery whites, who air jest ez
much Their slaves ez eft they'd been bot an
paid fur with ther own money, became red
hot Secessioners, while our people stuck ter
the Union. The very old satan hisself seemed
ter take possession ov 'em and stir EN- up ter
do all manner O cruelty ter conquer us inter
iinin' in with 'em. The Drills an FORMERS
he'd alters been leaders agin the other people,
an now the Confeder,s5es Missed their white
slaves onter our men, ez one sets dogs onter
steers in the corn. The chief man among
'em wus Kunnel Bill Pennington"
Harry looked up with start.
eyes, the same one who got his reward yes
terday," she continued, interpreting the ex-
preston of his eyes. 1.-THE Penningtons air
the richest family this side O. Danville. They
an the Drills an the FORMERS hev alters been
mortal enemies. Thars bin blood shed in
cv'ry gineration. Kunnel Bills father limpt
ter his grave on count of bullet in his hip,
which wuz lodged thar soon arter I'd flung on
the floor $40 gold piece he'd crowded inter
my hand at dance, where he'd come 'ithout
airy invite The bullet was from the rifle of a
young man named David Brill, tibet I mar
red the next day, jest ez he wuz startin' fur
Mexico. He volunteered little airler then
he'd intended, fur his fathers wheat wuz not
nearly all harvested, but hit wuz thot best
ter git himself out O tie way O the Penning-
tons, who wuz monty revengeful family,
an besides they then he'd the law on Their SIDE
Ez soon ez he come back from the war Ole
Kunne Bill, an Young Kunnel Bill, an all
the rest O the Pennington clan an connec-
ton began watchin' fur chance ter git even
with him. The Ole kunnel used ter vow an
swar tibet he'd never leave the airth ontil
Dave Brill wuz under the clods O the valley.
But he he'd ter go last year, spite O hisself,
an leave David Brill live an well an becom-
in more an more lookt up ter ev'ry day by
the people, while the Penningtons war gittin'
wuss and wuss hated. We he'd son, too,
the very apple of our eyes, who wuz CROWN
up, Jest like his father"
The quavcr of an ill-repressed sob blurred
the tones She closed her eyes firmly, as if
to choke back the trimming tears, and then
rising from her seat busted herself brushing
the Goals and ashes back into the fire.
aThet walnut pops so awfully," she said,
.,i,er body hezto sweep neatly ev'ry minnft
ter keep the harth at all clean.
"The death of his father made no change in
the Younger Col Pennington He kept up
the quarrel the same as ever, did he" asked
Harry, deeply interested in the narrative.
"Wussen ever! Wussen ever! He got Bit
terer ev'ry day. He laid his defeat when he
wuz runnin' fur the legislator at our door,
He hired DULLES ter git inter quarrel with
David, at public getherin's, an kill him in
sech way ez ter hev a plea o self-defense
ter cl'ar themselves on; but David TUX too
good keer O. hisself ter get ketched that
away, an he hurt one o. the bullies so bad
tibet he niver quite got over hit. He and
Kunnel Pennington leveled their weapons on
each other at barbecue near London last
fall, but the bystanders interfered an pre-
vented bloodshed fur time.
"When the war broke out we never be-
trouble in Louisville and Cincinnati-some
even thot hit likely that thar would be
(outen' in Lexington-but way up in the
we'd be peaceable an safe alters
Our young men formed themselves inter .
of home guards, an elected my
husband their capting. kunnel Pennington
gathered together bout hundred O. the
poorest, orneriest shakes on the headwaters
an tuck them off ter jine Sidney johnson,
an drive tho Yankees way from Louisville.
said hit wuz the best radiance O
bad rubbish the country'd ever knowed, and
when they wuz gone our chances fur peace
seemed bettern ever
DC
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